BJP MLAs Walk Out Of TN Assembly As Vanathi Srinivasan Not Allowed To Fully Speak On Views Of Hindu Victims Of 1998 Coimbatore Blasts

Speaking to reporters outside the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Coimbatore South, Vanathi Srinivasan today (11 October) said that the party decided to walk out as she was not allowed to fully speak about the views and sentiments of the Hindu victims of the 1998 Coimbatore blasts.

She said that her party had brought a calling-attention motion in the Assembly to discuss the issue but she was not allowed to speak fully by Speaker M Appavu.

Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS), the leader of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which recently snapped ties with the BJP, yesterday (10 October) called for the release of 36 Muslim life-convicts who had served more than 20 years in prison. These include 16, who were convicted for their role in the 1998 Coimbatore blasts that left 58 dead and over 200 injured.

The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its alliance partners like the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) have also supported the demand.

Criticising the demand, BJP state president K Annamalai wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that minority appeasement seems to have taken the driver's seat for a few and the safety of those who elected them has taken the back seat.

After the demand by EPS, who has been reaching out to the Muslim community to seek its support in the upcoming elections, the hashtag #கோவை_மன்னிக்காது (Coimbatore Will Not Forget) has been trending and people have been sharing details of the trauma they had undergone.